2018 Toyota Camry on its way to the Middle East

All-new Toyota saloon is expected to be revealed at 2017 Dubai International Motor Show later this year

The ubiquitous Toyota Camry is, doubtless, one of the most popular family cars in the world with over 10 million sold in the seven generations it has existed. And the recently revealed eighth gen model is expected to continue this winning streak. But the big news is that it’s about to arrive in the region; likely before the year is out.

Set to be sold as a 2018 model the new Camry in underpinned by Toyota’s TNGA (Toyota New Global Architecture) modular platform, and will outclass the current model in every aspect. For a start, it looks much, much more interesting. It sits lower and wider than before, while an aggressive new grille dominates the front end. It will be lighter than before and aerodynamics will also be improved, thereby not only making it more efficient, but also quieter and more refined on the move.

Even though the new Camry is an inch lower it will not be any less spacious than before. It will be available in five — Camry L, LE, XLE, SE and XSE — grades, with a choice of sporty additions such as bigger wheels, a rear spoiler and feistier-looking front bumpers on higher trims.

Naturally, this being a Camry, the bullet proof reliability will almost certainly be retained and the fact that body structure is 30 percent stiffer than before, should improve driving dynamics. The one area where it has lagged behind its rival Honda Accord.

The improvements continue inside with a fully redesigned cabin using higher quality materials than before. Expect all of Toyota’s latest kit including things such as a head-up display and a large infotainment screen to control most of the car’s features. Toyota claims, the interior will also be more refined when it comes to keeping out road and wind noise.

Details of the models coming to the Middle East have yet to be confirmed, but the North American market gets a 2.5-litre four-cylinder, a hybrid and a 3.5-litre V6. The V6 is unlikely to be sold in our region.

The four-pot version, which will undoubtedly be the popular choice, now makes 206bhp and 250Nm of torque compared to the current car’s 180bhp and 240Nm of twist. It will possibly cost a touch more than the current car’s AED83,900 price tag, too.

Fadi on Deesch Papke assigned CEO of Porsche Middle East and Africa FZETo whom it may concernI would like to share our frustration in dealing with Porsche and Al Nabooda in the last 10 years!After our first Cayan for my wife back in 2008 and the current Macan 2015 we decided to write this letter to Porsche directly.The main objective of AL Nabooda is to overcharge their customers specially on spare parts and the denial on the warranty coverage even on small requests and when you complaint about the prices they offer a big discount! when I refused to renew the Cayan warranty they agreed to change the hand rest!By the end of 2017 we decided to sell our Cayan and move to the new Macan model and that was the biggest mistake!We have bought a Macan S 2015 from Al Nabooda after waiting for several months, from the first 2 months we got a notification on the dashboard that we need to top up the oil, we went to the service center and they did it for us without any explanation!We continued on this annoying practice every couple of months!Another issue in the car was the AC bad smell which Al Nabooda charged us to change the filter and do the cleaning which was not covered by the warranty!This week I went back again to renew the useless warranty without clear answer on the oil consumption except the Porsche cars consume oil!I have been living in Dubai for the last 23 years. I had Boxter, Cayman, Cayan, BMW, Mercedes, etc... and currently I drive Maserati Ghibli and I have never heard that a car consume oil every 1000 km and above. I drive my Maserati car for 20,000 km without toping up or changing the oil!They also called me this week to inform me that the brake pads needs to be changed and the price is AED 4,700 and when I complained suddenly the price went down to AED 3,500!Please allow me to share my frustration with Al Nabooda and my great experience with Al Tayar Motors since 5 years and the way they respect warranty agreements with amazing services.We also decided to sell the Macan and never come back to any brand under Al Nabooda!